Guide to the Recently Deceased
by Brigid the Fae
Summary: There should really be a guidebook for people that wake up to find that they can't interact with other people anymore. Are you dead? Are you alive? Will you age? Can you pass through walls? Jack and Esther find answers to these questions after becoming victims of an accident themselves. Jack/Esther


**A/N: This oneshot is inspired by c-s-stars, who reminded me of a prompt from way back on Tumblr. It's not connected in any way to the Call Me Again universe, and in a way doesn't really follow the Rise of the Guardians storyline either. **

The last thing Esther remembered was the biting cold of the water when she woke up laying on the frozen lake.

Jack had wanted to take his little sister ice skating that day; the weather was nice enough, and they had their chores completed early in the morning. Esther had been coerced into going with them, and though she wasn't so much a fan of sliding around on ice – a sprained ankle when she was 6 was testament to that – she loved the little girl like she were her own sister.

Things were going well enough, she had thought. Jack had pulled his sister out onto the icy lake with her skates laced tightly around her feet, and held her hands to steady her as she pushed herself. The little girl was beaming as she became more comfortable with her newly acquired skill, and it wasn't too much longer before Jack had let go of her, letting her skate circles around her brother. Esther had slipped on her skates as well, though she didn't stray far from the edge of the lake. If she were going to fall, she wanted to have the snow to cushion her landing.

But, as good things tended to, the world came to a screeching halt around them with the sound of cracking. The young girl looked up at her brother, petrified as the ice beneath her feet had begun to crack. Esther forgot her fears of falling, moving closer to Jack as he held his hands out in a calming gesture.

"It's alright," he told his sister gently. "We're going to play a game." Near his feet had been a dried tree limb that he had fashioned into a walking stick long ago. He carefully squatted down and grasped the stick, all the while keeping an eye on his sister and not on the increasing size of the cracked ice. Esther could see it, and she tried not to focus too much on it, fearing that if she did then so would the girl.

Jack was purposely ignoring it for that very reason.

Using the curve of the walking stick, Jack grasped his sister around the waist and used the blades beneath her feet to thrust her across the ice and towards the edge of the lake where they had left their belongings. The shift in weight made the crack in the ice spread further, following the new source – Jack.

Esther could barely get his name out in warning before the ice beneath his feet shattered, seconds later he was in the water. She dove, trying to grab his hands to pull him forward, but the weight of the water in his clothes pulled him down further as he struggled to fight against the water. Esther couldn't find purchase against the smooth ice beneath her as she still tried to fight to bring him back to her, and she began to slide into the water herself. Jack was now completely under the water, as was she, but he wasn't fighting so much anymore.

The water was so cold, and the light coming from the cracked ice was getting further away…

* * *

Esther pushed herself up on her elbows, looking around the open space. She was laying on the lake, and it was night time. It was the dead of winter, but something was off.

Why wasn't she cold?

She looked at her hands, they were dry. It's like she hadn't gotten wet at all. Esther jerked, looking around as she gasped out one name. "Jack!"

"What?" came a mumble.

"Jack!"

"I said, what?" The boy opened his eyes as he was being roughly shaken. "What is the matter with you?"

"You're alright!" Esther's hold on him tightened. "We're alright!"

Jack's brows furrowed as he tried to understand what she was going on about. "Yeah, we're fine. Es, are you okay?"

Esther pushed back and studied Jack's face. Her eyes widened as she took in his appearance. "Your hair is white!" She grabbed his face and looked closer. His eyes, once brown, were now a bright blue. How could she have not noticed this sooner?

"What?" Jack looked down at his reflection in the ice and did a double take. She was right; his brown hair was now a brilliant shade of white. It was her reflection that had him equally surprised. "Have you seen yourself, Es?"

There was a pause, and then a small shriek from the girl. "My hair!" She wailed, fingering the platinum blond tresses. Her eyes, though hard to see in the dark, were now green.

"It's not bad," Jack tried to calm her down. Esther had prided herself on her looks, always wanting to look presentable. Such a drastic change in appearance was not so easily welcomed in their community, and she knew it. "It actually looks pretty good."

Esther looked up from her reflection to Jack. "You…think so?"

Jack felt his cheeks warm a little. "Yeah. Don't worry about it." He decided to stand up then, because if she continued to stare at him like that he'd get more uncomfortable. "What happened to us?" He asked, looking around the lake. His sister was nowhere to be found; had she gone back home? Why were they left behind?

The girl next to him stood up, following his lead. "I don't know…wait…we-we fell…" She turned on the spot, looking for the cracked ice. In the distance, they could see the large crater that had opened up in the lake. They were on the other side of the lake now. "How…did we get over here?"

He shrugged, looking down and finding the walking stick he had used to save his sister. Jack picked it up, deciding that he wasn't going to leave it behind. "Let's go back," he told her. "I don't know why we were left here, but we need to make sure my sister got home. We'll figure the rest out as we go."

Esther took the offered hand as he led her off the lake and back to their village. Something wasn't right, but she couldn't put her finger on it.

* * *

Something was definitely wrong.

When they reached the village the following morning, the atmosphere was melancholy at best. People continued to move about with their chores as if on autopilot. There was little conversation among the people that Jack and Esther passed, unless if was polite formalities before delving into business.

They had located Jack's sister, asleep in her bed. Jack thought this was odd, considering that it was usually around this time that she was helping their mother tend to the household tidying. His heart eased a bit, knowing that she had made it back home safe at least, though he couldn't shake the feeling that something was terribly wrong.

When Jack attempted to speak to one of the men of the village – the blacksmith – he was ignored. He tried again with the butcher, who always took a minute to speak to the boy when he came by, and was ignored as well. It took grabbing the older man by the shoulder to see that something was _definitely wrong_.

His had passed through the man, with no reaction on the part of the butcher.

Esther screamed, witnessing the event, and spun around to look closer at the people in the village. No one had heard her but Jack. "What's going on?" she cried. "Why can't they see us?"

"I don't…I don't know." Jack studied his hand, wondering what could have happened. This wasn't normal by any stretch of the imagination.

"Jack, I'm scared."

It took a lot to make Esther cry, and in that moment, Jack wished he could say something – anything – to stop the tears that began to fall down her cheeks. He pulled her against his chest, holding her tight as she sobbed into his chest. "It's…it's going to be okay…" he tried to reassure her, as a recurring thought lingered. It was getting harder to ignore, and each new development around them only made it more glaringly obvious.

They weren't left alone on the lake on purpose.

They weren't rescued.

They had _died_ in that lake.

Jack rubbed her back as the sobs turned to hiccups. "Esther," he spoke softly, so as not to scare her more then she already was. "Esther, listen to me. I…I don't think we made it out of the lake…"

She stiffened in his arms. "Do you mean…" She leaned back enough to look at him. "We…" The thought of saying that word out loud made her want to vomit.

"I think so. I'm so sorry, Es."

A few stray tears fell from her eyes as she leaned back into Jack's embrace. "I'm sorry too, Jack."

* * *

They had left the village as soon as Esther had calmed down. It was too painful to remain in the place they were born and not be seen by the people they had grown up around.

The couple walked through the woods, not caring where they went anymore, so long as it wasn't near the lake or their former home. Jack never let go of Esther's hand as they walked. They spoke little, each trying to come to terms with what was not their existence. The concept of time itself was meaningless now, since it appeared that by dusk they had the same amount of energy as they had when they woke up. So they continued to walk in silence as the days passed in a blur.

Finally, when Esther spoke, she couldn't contain her thoughts on the matter. "How can we be sure that we're…dead?" It was the first time she had said the word out loud.

Jack shrugged, tightening his hold on her hand. "I don't know. I don't feel any different."

"Me neither. Except for the change in our appearance, nothing else seems off."

"We can't be seen, heard, or touched by anyone else," Jack added miserably. For someone who sought attention for his stunts as a child, this was a depressing realization.

Esther looked at him. "I can see, hear, and touch you," she said with a blush. She hadn't meant for it to sound suggestive; she had only meant to reassure him that he wasn't alone in this!

Jack got her meaning, but her words still made him blush. "Guess we really are together for eternity now, huh?" he attempted to joke. Their families had decided years ago that when the two were considered adults, they would be married off.

They were supposed to hold the wedding that spring, as soon as the grown thawed.

Esther frowned as she recalled the plans that had been in the works for years for their marriage ceremony. Now there would be no ceremony, no dress, no celebration…

"I'm sorry, Es." Jack backpedaled, seeing her expression. "I was only trying to make you laugh! I didn't mean-"

She stopped walking and tugged his hand, bringing him to her. "Don't worry about it," she replied, giving him a smile. "I'm trying. Really."

Jack returned her smile and looked around. They had stopped on a hill with a hell of a view of the area that surrounded them. With the moon full and high in the sky, they could see the endless stars twinkling among the blackness. He looked back at Esther, noting how the glow of the moonlight gave her now-light hair that fell around her shoulders an ethereal look. He hadn't been kidding when he said she looked good with this new change; he just hadn't been able to tell her how pretty., _'One day,'_ he told himself.

Esther had followed his gaze and looked to the sky, so she hadn't noticed his stare had shifted until she looked back to him. She held back a gasp at the intensity of his eyes; she hadn't seen that look before aimed at her. That was the stare Jack reserved for something he was deeply focused on, like a practical joke. She found she couldn't break the moment by looking away.

'_Jack's been doing everything he can to cheer me up.'_ She knew he was just as upset still, but he held it in, not wanting to upset her further. Esther leaned forward, giving him a gentle kiss on the cheek. "Thank you, Jack."

"F-For what?" He hadn't been expecting that kiss. It hadn't been the first they had shared, but they had been few and far between, and he could count each time on one hand.

"For being you. For being here with me. For everything you've done." She smiled genuinely this time. "I'll get better, don't worry."

Jack swallowed, nodding. He hoped she returned to her normal self, so to speak. This girl that he had been walking with was not the bubbly personality that he had grown up with. "You know," he said, shifting his feet. "I've been thinking about this. How do we know we're really dead?"

Esther looked at him quizzically. "You were the one that said that we couldn't be seen, heard, or touched."

"Yeah, but does that apply with things?" At her stare he added, "You remember those ghost stories the village elder told. About how the spirits could walk through walls?"

"That was supposed to scare us, Jack."

"But what if it's true!"

"Jack, don't be ridiculous-"

"Esther, push me."

"Have you gone out of your mind?!"

"Just – push me down the hill!" Jack was gesturing down the hill. "Give me a push!"

"I'm not pushing you down the hill, Jack!"

"Why not?"

"Because what if you get hurt! Did you stop and think about that?"

"Yes!" He grinned. "If I get hurt, then that means we're not dead!"

"If we're not dead, then what are we?!"

"I don't know! So push me and we'll find out!"

"Jack, I'm not-"

"What's the matter, Es? Are you not strong enough to push me?" This was a dirty tactic, but she wasn't budging. "Are you still Sicky Icchy?"

Jack had started the nickname when she had fallen ill when she was 7 and bedridden. Her only entertainment had been books unless he came around to visit, and one of the stories she had been reading had been about the escape of Icarus and his wax wings. Jack had latched onto the name for some reason, even he wasn't sure how it came about, but it stuck. Each time she had so much as sneezed since he used it.

Esther hated being called "Icchy", and being reminded of it made her see red. "Don't. Call. Me. That!" she roared, mustering all her strength and shoving him in the chest.

Jack's eyes widened as he realized he got his wish and flew backwards down the hill, before feeling his back connect with the ground. His body picked up speed down the incline, and he was unable to find anything to grab to stop himself. Instantly he had regretted his decision to fight dirty, because despite her stature, Esther had a lot of hidden strength.

The girl left atop the hill could only stare horrified as she watched Jack roll downhill into the cluster of trees. She hadn't realized she had pushed him that hard! Esther winched, seeing a tree shake and tufts of snow fall from it's branches. It seemed that Jack had stopped.

"Jack?"

A moment passed before she heard, "Yeah?"

"Are you dead?"

Another pause. She squinted her eyes to see a mound of snow move and shift before uncovering Jack's head. He shook the snow out of his hair before he looked up at her.

"I think we're alive!" he grinned.

Esther huffed and carefully made her way down the hill to where Jack stood, shaking the snow off of his clothes. "You're insane," she said, reaching up to dust the snow from his shoulder. "You know that, right?"

"Yeah, but we're alive."

"How, though? This doesn't make any sense!"

Jack shrugged. "Dunno, but if we were dead, I wouldn't have bounced off that tree."

Despite herself, Esther laughed. "No, no you wouldn't." She sighed, looking up at the sky again. "If we're not dead, but people can't see us, then what are we?"

"Maybe we've ascended into a new state of being?" Jack half-teased. It wasn't out of the line of possibilities, at any rate.

She looked back at Jack, surprised by his response. He had never acted like he paid attention at the sermons, but it was clear he had been listening. Esther took his hand, entwining her fingers with his. "Well, whatever we are Jack, I'm glad that I'm not alone."

"Me too, Es." He grinned boyishly at her. "Maybe we ought to see if there's a guidebook for what we are?"

"We could always write one ourselves."

* * *

Years passed. The world around them continued to grow, wither, and reform, but Jack and Esther never aged.

They refused to return to their home village, not able to handle witnessing the people they considered family age and die. Whatever had happened to bring them back from the frozen lake that day, they couldn't wager the same courtesy being given to their family. So they stayed away, traveling around and lingering among villages for short bursts of time. Even though they couldn't be seen, they still didn't want to grow attached to the presence of others.

They discovered that they were able to interact with physical objects at least. The clothes that they had woken in had been mended to their last days, and it was with a heavy heart that they gave up their last piece of home. To make them feel like they fit with the current time, whatever it may have been, they would take extra articles of clothing during their travels. To repay the seamstress, they would leave small tokens they had found, or performed a chore that would have hindered her workload.

Things began to shift between them during the passage of time. Jack and Esther had become closer than they had ever dared to imagine when they were told they were to be married once upon a time. It wasn't even so much a physical development between them, though kisses and caresses became more commonplace and less flustered. No, this was something else; it was like they had become in tune with the others' thoughts. A small noise or gesture between them said more than any statement most times.

Esther had indeed returned to herself once the grief had become manageable. Jack could still see the flashes of what they missed out on cross her eyes from time to time, but he had reminded her that if they hadn't become what they are now, they never would have seen the world as it stood. That seemed to perk her up. She was always curious, and he was always looking for an adventure.

And then they had learned about the Man in the Moon.

It had been terrifying at first, to experience the first response of something "living" aside from themselves after so long. They hadn't known how to react, other than to hide behind the closest tree.

The Man in the Moon, or Manny as Jack eventually came to refer to him, never actually spoke to them. He – somehow – projected what he wanted to communicate to them through their thoughts and feelings. It was from Manny that they learned that they were indeed very much alive, but not alive like the people they encountered. They were…different. There was no specific name given to them, but they had been told of Guardians of Childhood that protected the hopes and dreams of children around the world. They were like them, in a sense.

Through Manny, Jack had discovered that he could control the weather around him, winter weather specifically. When he focused his touch, he could generate ice crystals around what he came in contact with. This lead to a fun few minutes of pelting Esther with snowballs he had formed until she had reiterated that she was stronger than she looked.

Esther, on the other hand, developed abilities that were a little more tricky to pinpoint. It had taken staying longer in the current village that she could influence others. She had wanted to stay and observe the wedding that was being talked about, and Jack couldn't deny her this request, having never gotten a ceremony of her own. She had been positively giddy as she wandered around, observing the happy people that danced around the bride and groom. However, there was one couple who did not appear to be enjoying the festivities. They had bitter expressions, and judging from their appeared ages, had long been joined. Esther couldn't bear to see such unhappiness, and while she knew she wouldn't be heard, she still felt compelled to stand behind them and remind them that true love was unconditional. Regardless of the years, or the arguments shared, they still loved each other much as they had when they wed.

A peculiar thing happened after that. The couple turned to each other and smiled. The older man asked his wife if she would like to dance, and soon they had left the table, swaying to the beat of the music with the other guests. Jack stared slack-jawed as this took place. How had she done it?

Esther wasn't sure herself, but it seemed she had a knack for relationships. There were times that it didn't always have a happy ending, but she discovered that she could influence the heartbroken much the same. It was this that she owed her gratitude to Jack, for if he hadn't brought her back to herself, she wouldn't be able to do so for others.

* * *

Many, many years later, the world that Jack and Esther had been born into had become nothing more than a piece of history. Gone were the days of villages and horse-drawn carriages, in its place sat tall buildings, technology, and metal carts that propelled themselves.

Both Jack and Esther's abilities had strengthened considerably, though neither could be seen by the people they crossed in each town.

Then a bulking man in robes appeared before them, seeking Esther's talent for a position. His name was Cupid, and he wanted her to use her expertise for Pure Love. The young woman had been excited at first, the prospect too good to pass up, but she couldn't leave Jack. He had been with her since the beginning, and she told Cupid this. He'd been her one constant through everything.

Jack didn't want Esther to give up an opportunity to help people on his behalf. This would be good for her, he told her, assuring her that he'd be fine. In reality the thought of her not being by his side was too painful to think about.

"Do you have a home?" Cupid had asked them. He didn't want to miss out on such raw talent, but he also knew that to force the young woman to leave the young man would hinder her work. Their startled expressions told him that they weren't aware they could even acquire lodging of their own. In that moment he had his mind made up. They had been on their own for too long. "Come with me. Both of you." Cupid took both Jack and Esther under his guidance, bringing them up to speed on what it meant to be a part of their society. He apologized for not having noticed their presence sooner, saying that if he had sensed their rebirth, they might not have missed as much.

And that was what it came to be called, a rebirth of the soul.

The couple absorbed all of the new information that was given to them. Cupid had helped them pick out and get settled into a house of their own. Esther had taken the position as the Guardian of Pure Love and excelled at her duties. Jack continued to spread mischief and blanket communities with powdery white snow each winter.

Despite their differing paths, they still found a way to make time for each other.

* * *

Even more time had passed. Jack was now inducted into the ranks of being a Guardian himself. He had discovered that the young boy who had helped him, Jamie, was actually a distant nephew. It had been accidental, finding out that he still had some semblance of family in the mortal plane, but he was ecstatic all the same. His sister had grown up and started a family of her own, and the proof now sat next to him on the couch.

All because he had been able to save her.

A bump against his knee turned his gaze to the young woman on his other side. He lazily smiled at Esther and nudged her knee with his in return. He took her left hand in his and held it tight, feeling pride in the ring that now lay on her finger.

They had decided that since they were already together for eternity, to just make it visible to others who were incredibly nosy about their closeness. He had given her the ring two months ago, and while they hadn't spoken about holding a ceremony, he would happily give her one if she asked.

Jamie shifted in his spot on the couch, laughing at the movie they were all watching. Jack and Esther turned back to focus on the movie, something called "Beetlejuice" that featured a couple who had died in a car accident prematurely. The couple couldn't help but notice the similarities of their predicament, reminding them of how alone they felt in the beginning. But there was something else that had drawn Jack's attention that had him shouting at the tv suddenly, startling Jamie and Esther.

"They stole my idea!"

The boy and the young woman followed the finger Jack had pointed at the screen, and Jamie paused the movie. There, sitting on the table in the couple's attic, was a burgundy colored book titled "Handbook for the Recently Deceased".

Jack was fuming.

Esther was laughing uncontrollably.

Jamie had no idea what was going on.


End file.
